Indianapolis Takes Home the Crown in Red Bull Midnight Run Finals

The Nets beat the Heat in a double overtime thriller and then the drama of the Red Bull Midnight Run began.

After seven months of competitions and hard fought battles, the top eight basketball players from Indianapolis stormed into Brooklyn and claimed the ultimate bragging rights at this year’s Red Bull Midnight Run basketball competition. Elite ballers from Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Indy all competed at Barclays Center with the goal of answering basketball’s long-standing question: What city produces the best basketball talent?

Immediately after the Brooklyn Nets v Miami Heat double overtime game on Friday night, the Red Bull Midnight Run Finals took center court with the victor staking claim to THE MOST TALENTED BASKETBALL CITY. The final four squads included New York, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Atlanta with NYC and Indy advancing to the championship game. In a feisty and edgy final game that saw nearly a dozen lead changes, a slew of hard fouls, and plenty of high-flying dunks, “The Nap” came out victorious with a 43-41 win.

“There was a sense that the stakes were higher in the final game. You could feel the focus and fight in everyone’s game,” said Indianapolis guard Devin Williams. “We had a lot of people try out for this squad and these eight guys came together, played hard and we’re taking this title back to Indy.”

The nationwide competition kicked off June 1 with qualifying events in each of the nine metros throughout the summer and fall. Each event consisted of the city’s top 100 players, including D-leaguers, street ballers, former college standouts, overseas players, and more. The eight best players from each of the basketball-heavy towns were selected based on their individual performance and were flown to Brooklyn to represent their city in an epic final tournament.

“This is the big city and the bright lights. This is the ultimate stage. Representing your hometown and winning at this venue and in this setting is the way it’s supposed to be,” said Indianapolis guard John Harp.